The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) announced the graduation of the first batch of the Digital Future Leaders Programme, a training programme that combines virtual and practical learning and enables Emirati job seekers to acquire specialised technical and interpersonal skills in the information and communications technology (ICT) field, for increased job opportunities in the private sector.
The event came during a virtual ceremony attended by Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, TDRA’s Director-General, representatives of companies participating in the programme, graduate students and representatives of the media.
The programme organised by TDRA, in cooperation with Microsoft, Huawei, Hewlett Packard Foundation, Ernst & Young and LinkedIn, combines practical applications, specialised learning courses and personal skills courses that provide a structured educational path to increased job opportunities for young Emirati job seekers.
The programme provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of concepts such as computing, programming, measuring website user experience, developing servers, databases, and coding for mobile platforms, through three stages that include basic skills in the industry, practical training on the use of modern technologies, and the provision of industrial expertise.
The programme also provided a practical application opportunity for trainees, where they spent a period of paid practical work within the companies’ offices, during which they worked within teams, and contributed effectively and directly to carrying out tasks and projects of the companies.
In the opening speech of the graduation ceremony, Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director-General of TDRA, said, "The importance of this programme stems from the fact that we live in an age of skills, and although this fact does not diminish the importance of educational attainment and traditional certificates. Success in the future work environment needs more than just an academic degree, it needs direct contact with the work environment, with all the soft and technical skills required, and the ability to demonstrate proficiency in addressing challenges and finding innovative solutions to them. This is the main goal for which we launch the Digital Future Leaders Programme, as part of the national efforts to prepare for the next fifty, according to the directives of our wise leadership."
Al Mansoori pointed out that any talk about the future is necessarily a conversation about digital transformation, adding, "We are in a world in which people work remotely, students learn remotely, with increased selling and buying across digital platforms. Social media channels and the Internet, in general, are increasingly becoming virtual mediums in which people meet and interact socially, economically and scientifically. In this world that is being gradually shaped, we need leaders who are visionary and knowledgeable in dealing with future tools, and who will be at the forefront of a sustainable digital society that draws on the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for the benefit of our beloved country and future generations."
TDRA confirmed that the 12-week programme, which is held in cooperation with the LinkedIn educational platform, combined distance learning and active learning, and targeted unemployed and fresh graduates Emirati youth from ICT majors, to help them define a career path and increase their chances of holding jobs in the private sector. Participants who complete all stages of the programme will receive a completion certificate.
The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority is keen to launch programmes and initiatives for the development of national cadres working in the ICT sector.